Sunday in the Park with Giles
by Zef S
Summary: This is a series of stories I'm writing in which Buffy & Giles are together (yes, TOGETHER together). It's very character oriented and more about their day to day lives than demons, though there's some of that too. I tried to capture to humor of BTVS and
1. Demon Slaying + Starwatching = Hopes of ...

**_The Sunday in the Park with Giles Anthology_**_  
PART ONE:_ "Demon Slaying + Starwatching = Hopes of Smoochies" 

**Author**: Nell: Warrior Kibble   
**E-mail**: BruceyLucy1@aol.com  
**Rating**: PG or PG-13, I guess.  
**Pairing**: B/G   
**Spoilers**: Not much. The first 3 seasons of Buff, to be safe. This takes place after the first or second episode of the fourth season.   
**Summary**: Buffy realizes her feelings for Giles blah blah quirky entertaining romantic blah blah. Definately not for those who like the show for the monster fights and the action - this is a character-driven story. BTW, the title is a pun on the Sondheim musical "Sunday in the Park with George", and although when B&G go to the park it's a Friday, it just seemed right.   
**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately, Buffy TVS and all related characters do not belong to me. Only the story and plot belong to me. The rest belongs to the Joss-god, FOX, UPN etc.   
**Distribution**: You want it? click my name and lemme know.   
**Feedback**: Sure thing, as long as you don't make me feel too awful. I'll accept flames as a source of entertainment.   
------------------- 

"Crap, I hate it when they do that," said the tiny blonde as she disgustedly shook a vampire's dusty remains off her shirt. "I think I'm impaling them from the wrong angle or something."   
"I think it's the wind," said Willow as she sputtered, waving the tiny dust particles away from her face. Buffy nodded and picked up the wooden spike she had dropped.   
"Now now, you won't get away from me, Mr. Pointy," said Buffy to the spike.   
"Mr. Pointy?" Said Willow questioningly, eyeing the sharp object Buffy was holding.   
"Kendra. Good luck charm. Can only attach emotional significance to inanimate objects." Willows face was blank. "She gave it to me."   
"I see... I think." Buffy sighed and looked around. She started walking with Willow, dodging the ancient gravestones that were scattered around the cemetery.   
"God, can we go home now? I've dusted four vamps already and I wanna get enough sleep for my dance class tomorrow."   
"Dance class? Since when do you take dance classes?"   
"Since now. I told Giles I was tired of the same old training, so he said dance would be a good way to keep in shape and learn fluidishness and agilimoty and whatever." With this she did a backflip and staked a vamp that was behind her. Willow winced when she nearly kicked her, but she knew Buffy knew what she was doing.   
"That sounds really interesting, Buffy. It could be fun. What type of dance?" The eighteen year old girl put Mr. Pointy into her pocket and skipped over to Willow.   
"Hip hop. Five's the magic number, let's blow this joint."   
"If you can call a big park where lots of corpses are buried a 'joint'".   
"Touché." Buffy looked away from Willow confusedly. "Gads, that was way Gilesy. I'm spending too much time with him. Remind me not to do that." Willow grinned sweetly at Buffy's use of the fencing term and walked home with her. 

***** 

"Now turn, spin, slap the ground go round and round!" yelled the tall black man wearing swishy hip hop pants and a wifebeater. He stood up from his crouching position and clapped.   
"Good job everybody. Now everybody with an 'A' in their name, it's your turn!" He said as he sat down in front of the large mirror. Buffy sighed with relief as she sat down with the rest of the 'A'less people, which was a little more than half. She didn't count 'Anne' as in 'Buffy Anne'. She was way too tired to analyze her birthname.   
But, even as she was exhausted, she was definitely doing better than most of the class. She was in serious shape from all that training and fighting and did particularly well at learning the hip hop routine, unlike the depressing 40-something guy in shorts and a headband panting and sweating profusely. She stifled a giggle as he coughed into his hands. 

The A-named people did the routine, spinning and wiggling in not exact synchronization, but not too awful. Buffy couldn't help but mostly watch a guy who was off to the left - he was particularly good, and particularly gorgeous according to Buffy's ogling eyes. He wasn't much older than her and looked vaguely familiar - he was probably from college.   
The rest of the class clapped with forced (and exhausted) approval when the As completed the routine. The teacher stood up.   
"Okay everyone, thanks very much for coming, y'all did a great job and come back next week!" Buffy smiled and walked out of the steaming hot room, grabbing her water bottle and chugging.   
"You know you'll get a cramp if you drink too fast after that work out," said a boyish voice. She looked over to the source of the comment and saw the raven-haired guy she had been admiring.   
"Oh, yeah, I'm used to this sort of physical exertion," she said with a girly smile. She took a moment to mull over her comment, wondering if it insinuated anything.   
"Really? Do you play sports?" She smiled and shook her head.   
"Not really, I'm more of a... fencing person. And kicking and punching and the uh..." she made a motion with her hands that illustrated hand to hand combat.   
"Martial arts?" he said, helping her search for the word she was lost for.   
"Um, yeah, right! Martial arts," she said, happy to have a cover story for the odd activities she took part in.   
"Oh, I love martial arts myself. Anyway, you look familiar, do you go to UC Sunnydale?" He asked. She nodded and grinned.   
"Yeah, I do. You look familiar. Are you a senior?"   
"Nope, just a sophomore. Some people say I look older than I am." He smiled charmingly and she burst with glee that she had finally found a prospective boyfriend after the whole incident with being, y'know, _deserted_ by Angel.   
"Well, I have to be somewhere, but I look forward to seeing you on campus. Maybe sometime we can come to class together," he said hopefully.   
"That would be terrific!" She winced - terrific was way too enthusiastic. Oh well.   
"Great, be seeing you..."   
"Buffy."   
"Okay, Buffy. I'm Dwight." They shook hands. Dwight... god, who is he, Giles' nephew? She stifled a giggle at the thought.   
"What's funny?"   
"Oh nothing, your name reminded me of someone else. Okay Dwight, see you on campus. Mind if I call you D-dog?" He grinned and chuckled.   
"I suppose you may, Homie B." She nodded and waved bye as she walked out the door. 

Score! she thought as she absentmindedly pulled in her elbows and made fists enthusiastically. She noticed there were people around and put her arms by her sides innocently. She peeked in the doorway of a class that was in progress. It was a swing class, one of her favorite genres of dance. There weren't many people in there, and she observed the group and noticed a familiar haircut. Her mouth gaped as she looked into the mirror and saw it was indeed, Rupert. Giles. 

She put her hand over her mouth to stifle shocked laughter. Giles? Dancing? did not compute. Unknown equation. She winked at him in the mirror when he noticed her petite self standing in the doorway. He made a 'not now, I'm busy being active' look at her and got back to paying attention to the instructor. He smiled at the instructor as she took his hand and showed him a back-and-forth swooshy move. Buffy couldn't help but feel a pang of betrayal as the teacher grinned seductively at him and he put his arm around her waist.   
"Flirt much?" she muttered to herself. She justified the feeling of dread and disappointment in her stomach as being weirded out by the fact that Giles, musty book Giles, was flirting. He wasn't supposed to be involved in things outside of Watcher-related activities, right? It was just bad. 

She turned away and walked out of the gym, attempting to force the image of Giles smiling sweetly at some dancer chick out of her mind. She reminded herself that she might go out on a date with a dancer babe herself, that'll show tweed boy who's in charge. _Wait, why do I care again?_ though the girl as she opened the glass door in front of her. To distract herself, she placed the image of Wesley screaming like a little girl in her head and laughed aloud, attracting a few looks from pedestrians. 

***** 

Xander sighed with disappointment as he flipped channels on the small TV.   
"Commercials... infomercials... chick flick... bad comedy shows... why, I ask, aren't there any naked chicks on TV?" he said to himself, not worrying about others hearing, seeing as there was no one else in the house.   
The sound of the heavy wooden door opening caused the checker-clad boy to jolt upright and switch to something as innocent looking as possible. He sighed with satisfaction when it landed on some music video.   
"Hey Giles." Footsteps got closer.   
"Good evening, Xander," said a familiar British voice. "How've you been?" he said as he put down his bag on the kitchen counter and sat down in a chair exhaustedly. Xander glanced over and saw he was glistening with sweat, his shirt soaked.   
"Good. You sure got a workout - good to see you've been sweating from doing something other than going at it with Buffy." Giles stuttered a protest and sat upright in his seat, boyishly blushing.   
"E-e-excuse me?" Xander shot him a confused look.   
"What? I never see you being active except when you're fighting vamps and demons and stuff." Giles sighed and slumped down into his chair without the notice of the 18 year old on the couch.   
"Ah, yes of course. Well I actually have done a bit of formal and swing dance and played bit of Cricket in the old days."   
"Cricket. That's just too perfect. Giles, you're so lovably predictable."   
"Should I be pleased or disturbed?" said Giles as he removed his glasses and rubbed his aching temples.   
"Either will do." 

***** 

Buffy sighed with exhaustion as she plopped down on the newly-purchased bean bag chair in her dorm. She yawned, then stood and staggered her way down the hall into the shower room.   
She got inside a vacant shower, stripped herself of her clothing, hung it on the rack out of the way of the water flow and turned on the taps. She washed the sweat off her aching body, relishing the comforting sensation of warm shower water on her skin. She washed a few minutes, when her 'spidey' sense kicked in and she realized someone was behind her. She wanted to shrug the idea off, but intuition forced her to glance behind. She was staring directly into two purple cat eyes, set into a near-human face covered in scales and horny things she didn't want to dwell on, having been trained to ignore the nastiness of demons so she could fight them. 

"Come on, if you guys are going to attack me, at least wait till I'm DRESSED!" she yelled in shock, covering her private areas as well as she could manage. "Don't you have any sense of personal space whatsoever??!!" the demon responded with an unintelligible growl. "You're the talkative one." It attempted to punch her out, but she grabbed the fist and twisted it - she could hear the bones crack. The demons other arm attempted to punch her in the gut, but she twisted her torso so that it only grazed her waist.   
"Owies! Not while I'm naked!" she flipped the demon over by the arm, then hurriedly grabbed her clothing, turned off the water and managed to put on a shirt to cover the slightly punctured skin. She was used to pain and could deal with this. The demon got up and hit her on the head. She rubbed it and kicked it in the stomach. There wasn't much room in the tiny shower space, and she definitely didn't expect a visit. She wondered how on earth the demon got into the shower as she smacked its face and knocked it down again. After a bit of fighting, Buffy winning by far, the demon shrank away to a corner of the shower and, shockingly enough, MELTED into a puddle of purplish goo. It slipped over to the drain and went into the plumbing system like liquid.   
"Oh my god... talk about yer Alex Mack," said Buffy as she stared at the drain. 

***** 

Giles and Xander looked up as an angry Slayer stormed into the room.   
"Giles!" Her hair was stringy with wetness and seemed very messy and knotted. She wore an expression of disgust and disturbance, her small fists clenched.   
"What is it, Buffy?"   
"Some demon guy attacked me in the SHOWER!" The two men looked surprised and worried.   
"The shower? How on earth did he get into the shower?" said Giles. Buffy spoke her words slowly with great emphasis.   
"Through the plumbing system." Giles walked over to her.   
"Plumbing system... you mean he..."   
"Was made out of liquid? Yes, yes he was. He solidified into full demon form then turned into this purple goo and went down the drain." She took off her coat and slammed it on the couch, sitting next to Xander.   
"And how've you been?" she said, looking at him tiredly.   
"Better than you, apparently. What happened to your hair, anyway?"   
"I didn't have time to shampoo it, too busy kicking demon ass." Giles stopped his thinking and walked closer to the couch. 

"I believe the creature you ran into was a Gyzz'ard demon, by your description. It isn't very powerful and was thought to be completely extinct. Apparently, the council was wrong."   
"I'd say so. It didn't seem to put up a very good fight, but I must say I was taken aback by being attacked in such a vulnerable state in one of the few places where I thought I was safe for a while."   
"Vulnerable..." said Xander quietly, picturing with ease Buffy in the shower... naked... sans clothes.... Giles shared Xander's thoughts (much to his dismay) conjuring up a similar image to what Xander had.   
"Hello? Earth to the sex deprived?" she said, waving a hand and looking at them both. Giles had a look of quiet distraction, his lips slightly parted. Xander was smirking, his eyes half closed. They looked at her guiltily.   
"Oh, sorry Buf," said Xander. Giles looked away and his entire body blushed at the obviousness of his mental activities.   
"Well then, we should exterminate the Gyzz'ard demon as soon as possible. I know that they feed off human intestines. I also know that they need to breath, and that would be challenging to do in the water pipes. Perhaps Willow can get a map of the school plumbing system and we can try and predict where it'll appear next. Hopefully there aren't any more. There can't be more than one or two others since they are so incredibly rare," Giles said quickly. Xander nodded.   
"Okies dokies, I'll ring up Willow."   
"And I'll go wash my hair... in *your* shower, Giles. I'll fight the demons when the time comes, but for now I want some privacy. I even brought shampoo," she said happily as she held up a bottle she'd been holding behind her back.   
"Very good, very good. It's upstairs, first door on the right." Giles bit his lip at the thought of Buffy showering in _his_ bathroom. 

Giles wasn't proud of his feelings for Buffy. He certainly tried not to let on, as he didn't want to burden her with it. He hadn't always felt this way - they had gotten closer and closer and had become friends instead of business partners. Sometime in her senior year of highschool he found that his feelings for her were gradually becoming romantic, and by now he had a desperately big crush on her. It disgusted him to think of himself as a dirty old man ogling a lady who was but a child, but he knew she wasn't really a child and anyway, nothing would come of it. He knew Buffy didn't feel the same, with all those good-looking young men surrounding her. He was happy just being able to protect her, though he couldn't help but yearn for more. At the prom, she looked so stunning and made such a royal entrance... he had dreamed of her in that dress, when she first walked into the room, many times. And he would've asked her to dance if Angel hadn't been there. 

He heard the water tap turn on and he watched as Xander talked to Willow on his phone, pausing between sentences.   
"Hey, Will? It's Xander. Demon on the loose, he's icky and purple and according to Buffy attacked her in the shower. Yeh, that's right. He travels through the plumbing system - we were wondering if you could get a map of the pipes that go through the college from the net or something. We could find where he might pop up next. Okay, great! Thanks Will." He hung up the phone and looked at the older man.   
"She's on her way, she's bringing her laptop. This shouldn't be too hard, right?"   
"Probably not. We've faced much worse," said Giles, remembering the epic ascension of the mayor. It was amazing how the gang managed to get the entire student body to defeat the demon - he never ceased to be amazed at Buffy for it. It sounded impossible but they really pulled through.   
"That's for sure." 

***** 

"The demon would have to appear in either the dorm showers, sinks and bathrooms or the gym showers, because that's the only pipe system that Buffy's dorm showers connect up to. Is there any way that the demon could leave that system?" Said Willow, rapping away at the keyboard. Giles and Xander stood over her shoulder, observing the map she had brought up on the screen.   
"Well, there would be no reason to. We have no way of knowing, so we're going to have to assume that the demon is in the same pipes. I know this is rather boring and time consuming, but whoever is willing should guard all the areas that the pipes lead to. I have some walkie talkies we can take to let each other know if and when the demon appears. Let's hope there's no more than one." Willow and Xander nodded.   
"I'm pretty much plan-less, and someone has to do it," Xander said.   
"I can do it before 9:00pm, since I'm going to a party with Oz, but if I absolutely must I can stay later."   
"That shouldn't be necessary. I appreciate it, though. Willow, can you get us a hard copy of this map?"   
"Sure, I just have to get access to the school printers. We can all go together then set up post."   
"Great. Since these demons are weak, the minute you see them you can stab them until they're deceased. They will then turn into their liquid form." 

"You guys making plans?" said a familiar voice. Buffy was walking down the stairs, wearing a white towel and rubbing her hair dry with another. Willow spotted out of the corner of her eye Giles' adams apple bobbing up and down in his throat with nervous gulps. "Please tell me it doesn't involve Angel."   
"Happily, it does not. We're gonna go print out this map of where the pipe system it should be in leads to, then guard the areas where it might appear," spoke Xander.   
"We get to use walkie talkies!" said Willow with a girlish grin.   
"Groovy! Do I getta wear army fatigues?" said Buffy as put her hair in a turban, leaning down so that the boys could get a good look at her cleavage.   
"If you got some, go ahead. Speaking of which, what will you wear? Your clothes are wet, aren't they?" said Willow.   
"Say, Will's right. I am experiencing a serious lack of attire." Three heads simultaneously turned towards the flabbergasted ex-librarian. 

***** 

Buffy snuggled against the soft white shirt as she walked, grinning with joy.   
"My god, Giles, your clothing is soooo much more comfier than mine," she said in a tone of amusement, pulling up the sagging pants that threatened to escape her hips. Giles bit his tongue as he looked at her. This tiny, feminine body encased in a great sack of clothing. Giles was tall, and clothing that large was _not_ meant to be worn by a teenaged girl. The sight was adorable, if a bit pitiful. The leather belt was the only thing standing between a slightly bizarre 'shaggy' look and partial nudity. All of them were grinning, save Giles. He was holding back both a grin and a disapproving glare, ending up with a tolerant, neutral expression.   
Buffy leaned in to whisper something to the redhead standing next to her.   
"And they smell like Giles... who knew he was so full of fruity goodness?" Willow giggled uncontrollably and Buffy winked at her. Giles didn't hear her words but guessed the nature of the comment. Willow managed to walk around Giles and get a whiff of his outer arm. He pulled back in surprise at her attempt to smell him. She started giggling again.   
"He IS fruity. Giles, do you wear cologne?" He looked at her confusedly, as did Xander.   
"No."   
"Scented shampoo."   
"It's not very strongly scented."   
"Aftershave?"   
"Not especially."   
"Really? How interesting..." Willow looked at Buffy, who was shaking her head with confused dissaproval. 

****** 

Xander whistled the screeching melody - people in the next room over could recognize it as the Indiana Jones theme. He put his walkie talkie up near his mouth.   
"I'm bored. Someone tell me a joke."   
_::pzzzp::::Sorry Xander. I'd do a little dance if I were there, but I'm not,::_ said Willow over the walkie talkie signals.   
_::pzzap::::A little dance? Is that healthy?::_ said Buffy jokingly.   
_::zippazz::::It is if you do it right,::_ said Willow.   
_::pzzapizz::::Oh Watcher darling, how much did these walkie talkies cost?:: _said Buffy curiously.   
_::zippzap::::I'd imagine that's none of your business,::_ spoke the British man.   
_::pzzap::::Well sorrr-y for asking. I'm the one wearing your nice, white shirt and khaki pants. I could spill coffee on these duds if I wanted to, you know.::   
::zzapizz::::The truth is, I don't remember. I bought them ages ago, amazed they still work.::   
::zapazz::::This is kinda lame. We've been here for what, hours? When's this thing gonna show up?::_ said Xander impatiently.   
_::zzzzzap::::Actually, we've been here for around half an hour. I have no idea when the demon will appear, but we'd have to assume during mealtime, since they are on a similar schedule to that of regular humans. We can leave in around a couple hours, when dinner is essentially over, assuming we have not fought the demon.::   
::pzzip::::And in return for doing this, Giles, you will take me out to dinner and ice cream afterwards.::   
::pzapp::::Oh really? Isn't this your job?::   
::zzaphooey::::Even so, you should take me to dinner and ice cream just because you're a nice guy and I deserve it.::   
::ppzzzap::::I suppose we haven't gone out in a while. Would Willow and Xander like to join us?::   
::pzzoosh::::Will has that party with Oz and friends, but I could come. Are you *really* gonna take us out to dinner?::   
::pzzap::::Giles, you are incredibly easy to manipulate. I feel almost guilty,::_ said Buffy gleefully. She got him to take her out to dinner like *that*! How many girls can do that? Or rather, how many guys would let her do that? The idea of Giles taking her out to dinner was becoming rather appealing, she thought as she cuddled the shirt she was wearing and took in the scent of it.   
_::przzroop::If I didn't want to take you two to dinner tonight I would've resisted::_ said Giles. He was to take her out to dinner. They rarely got together for reasons outside of Slaying duties. An outing for pleasure instead of staking or stabbing of some sort was something virtually foreign to their relationship. And Xander would come, too. He wondered how that chemistry would work out.   
_::zipazap::::Sweet! Thanks, Watcher-mine!::_

It was only 15 minutes later that the very disgusting purple demon that Buffy saw earlier appeared in an unoccupied shower by the gym. Willow didn't see it drip out of the shower head, but certainly saw its fist nearly collide with her face. She quickly ducked and it hit the wall, not even breaking through. It shook its hand in pain as she kneed it in the stomach fiercely and stabbed it the back. She automatically wiped the gooey blood on her black shirt, much to her dismay. It stood straight and she stabbed it in its heart as quickly as she could. The thing twitched, fell on the concrete ground and took its final breath. It then proceeded to melt into a puddle of purple stuff, just like she'd been told it would.   
"Er, I got the thing. It's all puddley now," she said into the walkie talkie, surprised at the easiness of the fight.   
_::pzzap::::All right, Wills! You go girl!::_

She walked out of the bathroom, leaving the goo to be cleaned up by the janitor. She didn't want to bother, because she had somewhere to be.   
"Hey Willow," said a familiar voice.   
"Hi Oz," she said, smiling at her favorite werewolf.   
"You're all gooey," he said, noticing her dirtied shirt.   
"Indeed I am. I'll go change into my party clothes, then we can leave, sound good?"   
"Sounds good." 

Meanwhile...   
Buffy, Xander and Giles met up on the steps of the main building of UC Sunnydale. It was a cool, pleasant spring night. The sky was now dark, but the evening was young, and the three were in an inexplicably good mood considering they had just spent 45 minutes in bathrooms waiting for some demon to appear. Buffy grinned at the boys as the threesome approached each other from different directions. They saw Buffy had gotten new clothes from her room before she came back - she was wearing a dark red mini-dress with an off-white cardigan, and black high top boots which showed off her slightly tanned legs.   
"Well, that wasn't exactly challenging, was it?" said Buffy as she took the arm that Xander offered her. She looked at the older man expectantly - he smirked sweetly and held his arm out as well. She linked arms and they walked to the sidewalk happily.   
"Definitely not challenging. Boring, yes. But at least we get to eat now. Eat good. Xander happy when eat."   
"Well, Xander happy soon, right Giles?"   
"Right. Where shall we go? I've been meaning to visit that new Japanese restaurant."   
"Yeah, it's supposed to be very good, *and* very cheap, Mr. Penny Pincher."   
"Well, better than expensive."   
"Whatever you say, Cheapo."   
"I am not cheap. You're lucky I'm even taking you two out."   
"You're lucky we're letting you." Giles smiled at Buffy's banter as they walked down the street towards the restaurant they had decided on. 

***** 

A tiny bell chimed when Giles opened the door and walked in, the two young people behind him following. The restaurant was only half full since it was 9:00pm on a Thursday night, not the hoppingnest time of week. It was a typical Japanese restaurant, with Asian decorations and everything. A waitress seated them at a table, ending up with Giles and Buffy on one side of the table and Xander and his imaginary friend on the other. They picked up their menus and thanked the waitress. They decided on what they were to get, put down their menus and drank the green tea. The warmth of the drink was very comforting.   
"So... lovely night for having a meal, huh?" said Xander, attempting to spark conversation.   
"Quite," said Giles, observing the stray leaves at the bottom of the tea.   
"So, guys, how's college-less life?" asked Buffy, directing the question at both her male friends.   
"Well, it's filled with bachelory slack-packed goodness. In other words, uneventful. Oh, except for the time I almost got kicked out of my own room because I couldn't pay the plumbing bills. How about you, G-Man?"   
"I'm sorry about that, getting kicked out and all. I myself am unemployed, perhaps we should both find a couple of good jobs. Other than that I've been... well, jogging, reading. I bought a stereo and I'm learning to work it."   
"Oooh, electronic gizmos! You're becoming so modern!" Giles gave her a 'don't judge ah buk by its cov-ah' look. "Oh, by the way, what's up with the swing classes?" before Giles could respond she pounced on him. "And what's up with the chick? You aren't supposed to be flirting - it's not very Watcherly of you, I do not approve!" Giles took a swig from his tea, knowing he was gonna need it.   
"Excuse me, but I was at the swing classes for leisure. And what makes you think I was flirting? And what's wrong if I was? You're not the only one here who is a human being, you know." Buffy's lip quivered with denial.   
"But... b-but..."   
"But nothing. Anyway, I didn't think you'd be taking the daytime hip hop class."   
"You're trying to avoid me, aren't you?"   
"No, I was simply aware that you would react the way that you are reacting." Buffy sat up straight and sighed. Xander watched their interaction wordlessly.   
"Okay, fine. Have your fun without me. But if you ever get to be any good at that swing dancing, you are required to teach me." He raised an eyebrow.   
"You want to learn swing dancing from me?"   
"That's what I said. I've always wanted to swing, baby!"   
"Well, if either of us have time." 

Their conversation was interrupted by plates being lowered onto the table. The delicious looking food beckoned them and they instantly began eating. Their conversation went to foreign foods, then where they'd love to travel, then where they'd want to live. They decided they should get a nice big house and all live together - the entire scooby gang. It made sense.   
During the dinner, there were some awkward moments between Buffy and Giles. Xander was too busy figuring out chopsticks to notice, not that he would've had he been paying attention, but something was definitely starting to develop between them. Buffy could feel shivers up her spine when his elbow brushed hers a couple times. Why was she getting shivers from Giles? Just a few minutes ago she had been complaining about his flirting. Well, those two seemed to fit together, didn't they? She shook her head, getting a weird stare from the man in question, then returned to her vegetable tempura with renewed vigor.   
And not that Giles didn't notice the moments, either. But that was just him, he thought. Getting all worked up over a girl who was young enough to be his daughter, and was, in a way. He cursed himself, but wondered if he didn't notice her stare at his arm after it brushed with hers a couple seconds before eating again. 

They happily finished their meal after around an hour, including conversation. When the bill came Buffy insisted on contributing, if only a quarter of the cost. Xander said he wanted to, but Buffy and Giles told him absolutely not, and that he is having enough money troubles as it is. The cost of the meal wasn't too pricey anyway, and Giles didn't mind spending some money on the young adults who were, at this point, his closest friends (not including Willow and Oz). 

"Are we ready to take on the ice cream?" said Xander happily as the walked down the bustling (well, compared to usual Sunnydale) streets.   
"Absolutely! You doubt my abilities?"   
"Never, Buff." Giles looked at them, bewildered.   
"Ice cream? Already? Are you sure we should get it so soon after that filling meal?" Buffy grinned.   
"Of course! I'll bet you'll find the room for it." And he did. They each got ice cream at the local parlor, Giles ordering it for them like a gentleman, or a father (it was really more date-y and curteos than paternal, Buffy had thought). Xander got a fudge swirl, Buffy a chocolate chocolate chip and Giles a mint chip.   
"Yummy!" Buffy squealed gleefully as she licked the delicious cold sugar off her cone.   
"I rather agree," admitted Giles, half-smiling as he did the same. Xander nodded, too involved in his eating to make any intelligible noise. Giles looked up at the sky, in awe of the beauty that was the universe.   
"The stars are quite beautiful tonight," he said in his quiet voice. Buffy looked up at the sky and sighed.   
"They are, aren't they?" Giles looked at her.   
"Would you two perhaps like to go to the beach, away from the lights? To star-watch?" Buffy smiled contentedly and nodded. She wasn't sure why she held his eyes to hers for those eternal moments, but knew that she enjoyed looking into them, and the expression he gave her in return.   
"Sounds nice to me," said Xander obliviously. Buffy tore away their gaze and stared her cone, which was beginning to melt. She licked the ice cream off, then noticed Giles eyes were still on her. A naughty, naughty thought formed in her mind and she licked the ice cream with the tip of her tongue seductively, sucking and scooping with her mouth. Giles' eyes widened and his adam apple bobbed up and down as he gulped. He looked away sharply and she laughed. Xander looked over at them and raised his eyebrows at Buffy, not knowing what happened.   
"What happened?" She signaled with her head at the older man, who had managed to create an extra couple feet of space between them.   
"What? Did Giles make a funny in his pants or something?" She laughed at Xander's comment.   
"Almost..." mumbled Giles inaudibly. 

They continued walking for a few blocks and reached the peaceful beach. It was a heavenly sight, and the trio stood and watched for a few minutes before anyone said anything. The brilliant moon was almost full, and shone with such clarity Buffy thought she could see every single crater on its surface. It reflected on the water in tiny ripples so that it seemed the water was made of pure silver or pearl. The coast itself was beautiful, and Buffy could see the buildings in the misty distance like some far off castles in a magical world of night.   
"Odd that no one's here on such a pretty night." Giles nodded.   
"Quite. A lot of people don't appreciate the fact the beach is most peaceful at night."   
"All the more peaceful beach for us," said Xander.   
"Yup. Shall we sit?" said Buffy, pointing to the bench just a few feet away.   
"Ah, yes." They sat down, with Buffy on the left, Xander in the middle and Giles on the right. Buffy rested her head on Xander's shoulder affectionately. He responded by putting his arm around her warm shoulders. 

Giles savored the cool wind on his face, trying to ignore the pair of teenagers embracing next to him. He reflected on how bizarre his life is, wondering what will happen to him when Buffy dies. He knew that she would die before himself, it was just the way things were. He didn't think he'd be much use for anything after that. He lived for Buffy, at this point. Buffy and Sunnydale were all he really had, or cared about. He missed England desperately, but even the grays and browns of London couldn't compare to the gold and green of Sunnydale, at least when Buffy inhabited it. He wondered if Buffy would like London. She'd probably say it was filled with stuffy British librarians. Buffy had known so little of the world - California was all she'd seen. She didn't understand that London wasn't filled with old Giles-like people, but was a center of culture and fashion. Giles sighed. She'd much rather like that side of it than the stuffy old librarian side. He mulled over what exactly Buffy was trying to tell him when she was eating her ice cream, having given him that look of reverence and love, staring into his eyes. He knew she was just fooling around, trying to psyche him out. 

Buffy patted Xander on the head.   
"I need to stretch, Xand." He grinned sheepishly and Buffy stood up, yawning and stretching her arms. She looked at the bench, noticing Xander had moved his way to the other side of the bench and was stretching out a bit. She gave him a 'lemme sit down, bench hog' look and he moved back into a regular sitting position. The blonde sat in-between her two friend-boys and continued to look at the stars. But somehow the constellations weren't holding as much interest for her as before, because she could feel soft, warm breaths on her cheek. Without looking she leaned on the body to her right and could feel the breaths on her cheek quicken very slightly. The arm was firm, but not in a yucky over-muscled kind of way. Firm in a sure, confident way. It was soft, though, and the expensive sports coat was pretty soft too. Whenever Buffy had hugged Angel, it had been wonderful but he was a little bit _too_ firm to be _cuddly_ in the purest sense.   
She sighed and leaned into him further, so that the top of her golden head was inches away from his face. She pried her arm through the tightly closed gap between Giles' arm and his torso and held it affectionately. 

_This feels so safe, so right_, thought Buffy. Giles had never been very physical with her, only giving her the occasional hug after not having seen each other a while or holding her hand to comfort her. But he was so tender, so gentle and loving. Buffy thought of him only as her Watcher, or a sort of surrogate father, but she couldn't help but notice the lump in her stomach now that he was close. 

_Am I really falling in love with Giles?_ thought Buffy. _But so many times I've made fun of him for his age, or said I was grossed out that he was ever romantically involved. But I only said that. Maybe I felt something else underneath._ Buffy couldn't believe or trust this revelation - Giles was old, well into his forties. She was a college freshman. But they did have a bond that people rarely have - they were chosen for each other, as Watcher and Slayer. Buffy almost actually shook her head - No, no, and double no. The intense feeling of love and comfort I'm feeling right now is an ice cream after effect. I feel safe because he's... Giles. A man I can trust. Not a man _man._

Giles, meanwhile, was very much enjoying this rare closeness he had with the woman who was the center of his life. He wondered why she snuggled up to him like he was her friend, or even boyfriend. It was comforting to just have a few minutes of silent contact, nice to feel the safety and sureness that someone was there, someone who loved you, someone who cared about you. Though he got a bit nervous when she inched closer to him and put her arm around his. _Very close... Buffy... girl... nearby..._ his thoughts became less and less intelligent until he had to let go and enjoy the moment. 

They looked very peaceful to Xander, very content. Buffy's eyes were sleepy and her body seemed entirely relaxed leaned up against Giles'. The man's expression was soft and lacked the tenseness he usually had around the teenagers. Xander wondered what they were thinking about, as he looked into the sea.   
It seemed like years, but was only around a half hour, that they sat there.   
"Guys, let's go home, I'm getting kind of tired."   
"Mmm, do we gotta? Giles makes a damn snuggly pillow," said Buffy as she shrugged even closer against him, moving her arms around his neck. His body tensed up. _Damn snuggly... I could live with that,_ he thought as he moved his arm and patted her on the back awkwardly.   
"As snuggly as our librarian friend is, it's after midnight and I have to get up for the first day of my new job real early."   
"You go, I stay," grumbled Buffy.   
"You've got classes, don't you?" Buffy sighed disappointedly and slipped away from her Watcher tiredly. She stretched her arms and rolled her head around - as snuggly as he was, being in the same position for that long can be stressful. Giles stood up and stretched.   
"All right, let's go then. I'll walk you home, if you like." Buffy giggled.   
"Sure!" 

He walked them both home, stopping at Xander's house and saying farewell to him. Buffy and Giles continued towards the university - the walk was filled with awkward silence, with Buffy occasionally asking him when he was gonna get a job and whether he liked her dress or not. He proceeded to humor her quietly, much to the girl's disappointment.   
"Here we are," he said as they approached the familiar dorm building.   
"Yup." They walked up to the door and Buffy turned around to look at him.   
"Thanks sooo much for taking Xander and I out, I really appreciate it."   
"I had a great time," he said, taking his hands out of his pockets.   
"Me too. Very great time. We should do this more often. But we can get other people to pay, don't worry," she added, seeing that Giles was about to interrupt. He nodded and smiled slightly.   
"All right then."   
"Well, I guess this is goodnight." She looked at him, wondering if he might kiss her, judging by his expression. Instead, he backed away and waved.   
"Goodnight Buffy. Sleep well."   
"You too, Giles. Sweet dreams," she said, waving back with slight disappointment. Disappointment? When this thought crossed her mind she leaned against the door and took a deep breath in.   
_Oh my god. I love Giles._ She watched him walk down the street headed towards his own apartment, and rolled her eyes from the shock of this revelation. She really did love him. No matter how she excused it. She loved a man almost 30 years her senior, a man who had sex with her mother (under the influence of enchanted chocolate), a man who was practically a father.   
"A father's love, my ass," she whispered to herself quietly as she opened the door into the house and walked in. 

_To be continued..._


	2. Hopes of Smoochies + Frisbee = Make Out ...

**_ The Sunday in the Park with Giles Anthology_**_   
PART TWO:_ "Hopes of Smoochies + Frisbee = Make Out Sessions in the Cemetery" 

**Author**: Nell: Warrior Kibble   
**E-mail**: BruceyLucy1@aol.com   
**Rating**: PG or PG-13, I guess.  
**Pairing**: B/G   
**Spoilers**: Not much. The first 3 seasons of Buff, to be safe. This takes place after the first or second episode of the fourth season.   
**Summary**: Buffy realizes her feelings for Giles blah blah quirky entertaining romantic blah blah. Definately not for those who like the show for the monster fights and the action - this is a character-driven story. BTW, the title is a pun on the Sondheim musical "Sunday in the Park with George", and although when B&G go to the park it's a Friday, it just seemed right.   
**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately, Buffy TVS and all related characters do not belong to me. Only the story and plot belong to me. The rest belongs to the Joss-god, FOX, UPN etc.   
**Distribution**: You want it? click my name and lemme know.   
**Feedback**: Sure thing, as long as you don't make me feel too awful. I'll accept flames as a source of entertainment.   
------------------- 

Giles fumbled with the dangling metal keys and unlocked his door. He swung it open and flicked the light on automatically. He looked around - the room was the same as he had left it. Ever since he'd moved to Sunnydale he expected to confront an enormous mess and lots of mean-looking monsters whenever he came home, which wasn't entirely unlikely. It'd happened before, certainly. Giles wondered if he was getting paranoid, as he hung his leather coat up and laid onto the couch to rest. He propped his feet up on the end of the couch and observed the fascinating ceiling. While he pretended to be interested in it to himself, his thoughts were most definitely focused on Buffy. How beautifully windblown and natural she looked when he left her, that light in her eyes that could almost be mistaken for... anticipation, or anxiousness. He could of sworn they had romantic moments pass between them... it was like magic, he thought to himself. 

_You're getting sentimental, and foolish, old chap. Buffy could never be attracted to you in that way, she's non-directly stated that a number of times. You're rather more of her mentor than her her boyfriend._ Giles pondered over that word - "boyfriend." It always sounded so... juvenile and immature. Lover, or partner, perhaps more suited older people. But of course, older people were too old to have romantic relations with out it being 'icky'.   
Giles shook his head and sighed as he sat up, removed his glasses and stood. He turned off the light then made his way to his bedroom and removed his clothing in a slothlike, burdened manner. He put on his striped red and white flannels (so cute!) and continued his train of thought while washing up. _Honestly Rupert, will you never get over that girl?_ He flicked off his bedside light and went underneath his covers, pulling the fabric close to him and imagining it was instead the lady he would doubtless dream about. 

***** 

Buffy sighed and squinted her eyes at the window by her bedside. She had been careful not to wake her way-too-early-to-bed roommate, Cathy, and had seemingly succeeded. The only response she got from her terrifyingly perky "friend" was a sleepy snort. She just couldn't believe she was in love with... _Giles._ She just didn't know what had triggered this sudden change of feelings towards Giles. She recalled the day she first met him - the stuffy, tweed-adorned librarian who ruined any chance she had for having a normal, vampireless life. She was basically disgusted at him after their first encounter. The big, musty book that he slapped down in front of her reading 'Vampyr' was the worst thing she could've imagined at that moment. Except maybe an actual vampire. But she got over it, mostly, and accepted she couldn't avoid her destiny. 

Her destiny. It was her destiny to be Slayer, and to have Giles as her Watcher. So maybe it was her destiny to be with him. She sighed and shut her eyelids wearily. She'd figure out her destiny in the morning. Now, sleep. And dreams. She vehemently hoped she'd have sweet dreams of Giles. No matter how far her topic of thought strayed, Giles was the center of her consciousness. And unconsciousness. 

***** 

To Buffy, the meaning of Archimedes' discoveries held little gravity for the two hours she spent listening about them at her college lecture. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't help but wander into different trains of thought. Rather, one train of thought. The train that focused mostly on Giles. 

The image of him walking away after leaving her at her dorm, his gray-green eyes twinkling and catching the moonlight, his hair tousled and adorably scruffy, his leather coat suave and flattering, his sultry cheekbones, his long black-denim clad legs... Buffy nearly shook herself out of her reverie. The image of aforementioned ex-librarian wafted through her mind like intangible sugar... the sweetness of it almost actually brought the taste of a freshly baked cheesecake to her lips. _Mmmmmm, cheesecake,_ thought Buffy indulgently. _Or blondie brownies! Or possibly Valentine's Day chocolate..._ the girl realized that these thoughts were not so much about her 40-something friend as the empty vortex inside her tiny stomach. She mentally celebrated when the teacher dismissed the class and she walked with Willow to the cafeteria. 

"Buffy, something's distracting you, I can tell," said the redhead in a concerned tone.   
"Distracting me? What do you mean?" spoke Buffy innocently.   
"Well, your eyes keep glazing over all weird, and you aren't talking to me." Buffy shrugged.   
"Distracting? glazing over? bah humbug. Purely your imagination," she said quickly.   
"Buffy, you're good at some things but lying is not one of them. C'mon, spill it. I'm your best friend, right?"   
"Wellll... yeah, you are, but... I don't know if I'd be comfortable sharing this. It's kind of... private. And weird," she said awkwardly. The little voice inside her head knew her strategy was awful, that talking like that was only egging Willow on to further inquiries. But then, the little voice wanted to tell someone, and Willow is trustworthy.   
"Oh come on. Your tact is weak." Willow paused a moment and looked into Buffy's eyes as they sat down with their lunch. She flashed her elvin grin knowingly. "It's about a boy. I can tell. You have that suppressed 'I have a crush but I can't tell anyone' look." Buffy smiled at Willow and looked down at her sandwich.   
"Well, yeah..." 

"Well what? Who is it? Someone I know? Someone I _should_ know?" Willow asked giddily. Buffy almost laughed when she asked if it was someone she knew. Was it ever...   
"Um, yeah, you definitely know him," she said.   
"Reallllly? Is he a student?" Buffy shook her head.   
"Is he our age?" Buffy continued to shake her head. _Awww man, when she finds out..._   
"Older?" Buffy switched to nodding.   
"Professor?"   
"Nope, but closer."   
"Hmmm... so he's much older? Like, older than his mid 20s?" Buffy smiled and couldn't stop her blushing.   
"Yeah." Willow pondered a moment. Who did the girls know who was older than 20-something and wasn't involved at college? Giles was really the only adult other than their parents that she knew Buffy knew well enough to like.   
"I give up," said Willow, instantly dismissing the Englishman.   
"You know him really really closely. He's sort of... well, you wouldn't expect me to have a crush on him, and neither would I, but... it sort of happened." Willow looked at her, stopping her sandwich munching.   
"Ghhilshe!!!???" she said, her mouth stuffed with iceberg lettuce and cold cuts. Buffy blushed.   
"Don't talk with your mouth full."   
"Shorrhy." She swallowed her food.   
"Giles??" she said in a slightly quieter tone. Buffy looked up at her and nodded, grinning.   
"Oh my god Buffy, that's toooo cute! It's like.... a schoolgirl crush! I did always think his singing was way sexy. Wow, Buffy, I never knew..."   
"Neither did I, but in just the past couple days I looked at him in a whole new light." Willow smiled and punched Buffy's shoulder. Buffy was glad to see she wasn't overreacting. She should've known Willow would be cool. Buffy would be more likely to overreact if Willow said she liked someone that unexpected. 

"So, what're you gonna do? Restrict it to quiet ogling sessions, or try and get some luvvin?" Buffy couldn't help but be embarrassed to hear Willow talk about Giles in that way. How odd... even though she liked him, she still thought it was weird that he too was a sexual being.   
"I don't know. I'm very impulsive. Quiet ogling might drive me crazy. But I'm too embarrassed to come on to him or something." Willow nodded seriously.   
"Well, if you're sure you really like him in that way and aren't just thinking you're attracted to him because he's... well, _there_, to put it simply, then you should come on to him." Willow's face lit up with enthusiasm at her advice. "Try dropping hints, like touching his shoulder briefly, or trying to get him alone, or paying extra special attention to him and totally ignoring Xander." Buffy grinned.   
"Don't we do that anyway?"   
"I suppose. But there are more pointed ways of doing it." Buffy nodded.   
"All this sounds good in theory, but the idea of hitting on Giles seems so absurd that I don't think I've got what it takes. Well, that's not totally true, I _sort_ of hit on him last night," she said, recalling her amusing foray into the depths of frozen desserts.   
Willow winked and nudged the Slayer with her elbow suggestively.   
"Say no more!" 

***** 

_To see Giles or not to see Giles,_ Buffy pondered. _That is the question._ She slammed her paperback copy of "Hamlet" closed (as well as you can slam a paperback) and stood up.   
"I believe there is only one answer to that question," Buffy said to herself. She got her coat and walked out and started to cook up an excuse to see the man she couldn't stop thinking about. 

***** 

KNOCK KNOCK 

"Just a moment!" yelled Giles as he smoothed back his hair and adjusted his shirt. He opened the door to find a very familiar girl standing on his doorstep dressed in a casual-yet-lovely green dress and strapped high heels.   
"Still in your jammies? naughty Watcher," she said, noticing he was still wearing his striped pajamas. His stubble was growing darker and he had a sort of boyish disheveled look that Buffy didn't altogether mind. It was very bizarre to finally see him after thinking about him so much... unreal, in a way.   
"Oh... hello Buffy." He was surprised to see her, though he had wished that it would be her at his door. "Do come in." 

Buff walked in and Giles closed the door behind her.   
"What brings you here?" he said, expecting to hear a big long story about how another demon attacked her in the shower, or the cemetery, or whatever.   
"Does something have to bring me here? Can't I just be here without it seeming odd?" Giles raised his eyebrows skeptically and sat down.   
"I would say yes, except for the fact that you never come here without a reason." Buffy sighed and sat down next to him.   
"Okay, well, it's a first?"   
"Are you really here for no reason at all?" said Giles.   
"I'm here to spend some quality Watcher/Slayer bondage time. Um, I mean. Bonding. Time." Buffy avoided the intent gaze of her older friend after her Freudian slip-up.   
"Is there some reason I should believe you?"   
"Come on Giles. Work with me here," she said. She inched closer to him, leaving only an inch or two between them on the couch. She prided herself for her bravery. Her actions didn't go without notice and Giles wondered what she was getting at, or if it was subconscious on her part.   
"Um... all right. What now?"   
"Now, we, um..." Buffy hadn't thought of the activity part of her visit. She just wanted to see his handsome face again. _I guess you figured you'd be making sweet monkey love by now, huh Buffy? _she thought to herself. She commanded that image to disappear and replaced her thoughts with words.   
"We cooould... go to the park. Have a picnic. Why, we could play Frisbee! It'd be like the childhood I never had," she said giddily. She mentally cursed herself for making another analogy that suggested she thought of him as a father.   
"Well, if you'd like to, I'd do it. But I can't help but think this isn't all a master plan to try and get on my good side so I will loan you money, or do you a favor."   
"Is that what you think of me?" Buffy said with artificial indignation. 

They ended up going to the park after all. Buffy packed a lunch from Giles' fridge and brought an old Frisbee and deck of cards he had in his closet. He finally got dressed, and Buffy was sure to bring a couple stakes, in case it got dark while they were there. Giles was wary of their outing, but thankful for it nonetheless. A purely social call from Buffy was highly unusual. He wondered if she enjoyed dinner with Xander.   
"This is tuna tastic," said Buffy, not bothering to mention she had lunch only an hour earlier. The cafeteria food was virtually unedible and certainly not filling. Homemade sandwiches and fresh fruit were much better.   
"I suppose it is," responded Giles. He had changed into a blue button up shirt and black pants. He was lounging on the checkered blanket and Buffy was sitting upright, enjoying the sunlight in the beautiful blue-skied park. People bustled around happily, playing with their dogs and children. It was Friday afternoon, so it was crowded but not as crowded as Saturday and Sunday. They were having a pretty good time, and the relaxed no-worries feeling in the air was refreshing for the normally tense Englishman and his young golden-haired friend. 

"Aren't you glad we came?" asked Buffy, removing her sunglasses to look at him more clearly.   
"Sure, it's very nice out here. I rarely come to the park. I should come more often."   
"I agree whole heartedly. Let's make it like... a ritual. Every weekend, we'll come to this very spot in the park and have a picnic."   
"Do you really have the time for that? College is pretty busy."   
"Well, college is busy but I gotta relax and have fun some time, and it might as well be in a sunny grass field with lots of daisies and pretty things with my favorite non-family older-than-20 man." Giles chuckled.   
"How sweet." He finished his sandwich and sat up. He looked down at the bag of activities they had brought, wondering what they could do. Buffy followed his gaze.   
"You're eyeing the Frisbee."   
"I haven't played Frisbee in ages."   
"Well then, now's the time to fix that problem. Shall we?" He smiled at her.   
"Surely." 

Buffy picked up the plastic disk and they walked a few yards away from each other. She attempted to throw it to him, but ended up throwing it a few yards beyond him. _Gotta learn to control that Slayer-strength better_, she noted to herself as she giggled. He smiled and ran towards where it landed. He ran back then threw it to her, or tried. It went a few feet left of where she was standing patiently. The both chuckled at their horrible aim, and Buffy retrieved it. She tried to put a little less strength into her toss so that it was close enough to him so that he could catch it. He nodded and made a thumbs up sign. He threw it back to her, slightly off-target, but Buffy ran to where it was and managed to pluck it from its flight. The game continued for around 45 minutes, containing lots of giggling, falling down, hitting each other and various other pedestrians. It was all just too much like a cheesy romantic comedy, but neither of them cared. 

"That was fun," said Buffy once they had mutually decided to end their frolic. "It was rather entertaining." He looked up at the clear sky that was gradually darkening, as it was now a hue of pink/blue. "It's getting dark... you should probably go straight to the cemetery, actually." Buffy sighed at the prospect of having to stake vampires instead of playing amusing games with her Big Soft British Man-Friend.   
"Aww, Giles... that sucks. Will you at least come with me? pretty please?" Giles made a scrunched up 'well, I don't know, young lady...' face. It was really more for the effect, he didn't want to let on that he had absolutely nothing to do during the day other than Buffy-related activities. Then again, the fact that he greeted her in his pajamas probably already proved that point.   
"Okay, I'll patrol with you." She smiled and hugged him.   
"Yay!" _God, since when did Buffy enjoy being around me so much? it seems like she usually avoids me._ He rubbed her back reassuringly. She held the embrace a few moments more than expected, then withdrew. "Okay, let's go." 

***** 

"Guess who Buffy's going out with as we speak?" The brown haired boy looked at her cluelessly.   
"I don't know Wills, just spill the beans!"   
"Oh come on Xander, it's funner if you guess," said Willow anxiously. They had to yell due to the very high noise level of their favorite night club.   
"Um... I dunno... just tell me!" Willow rolled her eyes.   
"Fine, fine..." she inched closer to him. "GILES!" Xanders expression was blank.   
"No, really..."   
"I'm serious! Buffy likes Giles! I bet they'll be smooching by the end of the night!" Xander nearly regurgitated his previously consumed dinner.   
"Say WHAT?! Giles? For real? Giles and Buffy?" The redhead nodded. "Well, I guess it sort of makes sense... but it's so... GILES!" Willow chuckled.   
"I know, I know. But they'd make a really cute couple, I'd think. Of the relationships she's had, this would probably last the longest." Xander shrugged.   
"True. But. Giles... and Buffy... eeew! Giles and Buffy! In the sack!" Willow burst out laughing at the disgusted expression on his face. 

***** 

"Off you go," said Giles warmly. They had spent nearly five hours together, by far the longest one-on-one time they had ever shared. He figured she should get some rest for the next day's classes. He currently had his old Citroen parked in front of the building which was now her home, UC Sunnydale.   
"Did you have fun today, Giles?" she asked earnestly.   
"Certainly. I'm surprised you wanted to spend this long a time with me." Buffy took his hand.   
"Of course, Giles. I really do like spending time with you. If it seems otherwise sometimes, it's only because I get fed up with my Slayer duties. It's nothing personal. I apologize." He smiled and put his other hand on hers.   
"It's perfectly all right. I've been there before." Buffy looked down at their hands.   
"Well... if you had such a fun time today... maybe we could have some more fun," she said bravely as she crawled her hand up his arm slowly. Giles' eyes nearly burst from their sockets.   
"W-w-what?" He had certainly noticed that Buffy had been acting abnormally since the night before, and his mind couldn't help but imagine that she was a little bit _too_ interested in him for it to be just a friend/friend Watcher/Slayer outing, but never would he have imagined her to be so bold. He could feel himself shaking slightly under the girl's touch.   
"Come on Rupert Giles..." her hand continued its adventure and reached his firm shoulders, then the back of his neck where it rested. "Just let me know I'm not making a fool of myself," she said in a humble tone far different from the enticing one she had been using before. She lifted her other paw and placed it on his collarbone. Her own intrepidity surprised and excited her. Both their hearts were thumping against their chests frantically. 

"Buffy... what are you doing?" he said as calmly as he could in the incredibly awkward moment. She had started rubbing her hand which had been resting on his collarbone in circles.   
"What do you think?" She inched closer to him, or at least as far as the cramped car would allow. "Giles, I... I'll admit I've been very ignorant in the past, so caught up in my own life that I've neglected what was right in front of me all this time." She looked up at him. "I may have insulted or teased you, and I'm sorry if it hurt you, but I was mostly just playing. And now I realize... how I feel about you." She couldn't believe the words that were leaving her mouth - she would have never imagined this day could ever arrive. "You might tell me I'm too young, or that you love me like a daughter, or that my behavior is unacceptable, or something like that. I'm hoping against hope that's not the case. But please, be as understanding as you usually are if you are to reject me." She took a deep breath and awaited his reply. 

He looked up into her eyes.   
"Oh, Buffy... I had... had no idea... I don't know what to say. I've never wanted to burden you with how I felt about you, I didn't think you'd be interested..." he took her wrists off his body and into his own hands. "I love you with all my heart." She almost burst out with tears. This was the first time he'd ever said those three sacred words, in any context.   
"Giles..."   
"Yes?"   
"Kiss me." He ducked down his head and kissed her gently on the lips, causing both of their bodies to paralyze with shock at the contact. They were both thankful they were sitting down in the car, or else they probably would've fallen down due to the lack of stability in their knees.   
He kissed her again, this time more passionately, parting his lips. As his smooth hands traveled up her bare arms to hold her jaw tenderly, she couldn't believe what she was doing, and how his mouth affected her so. He kissed her like she'd never been kissed before... with such a mixture of caring and sweetness and passion. It had always seemed to her a great risk to kiss someone for the first time, but with Giles it felt natural and absolutely safe, because she trusted him completely.   
They continued to lock lips for a number of minutes, relishing every sweet moment of it. It was obvious to both of them that this was meant to be, and that Buffy would never have to search for some immature frat boy to party with, or that Giles would have never have to call Olivia desperately looking for a way to sate his loneliness. 

They finally parted mouths and stared into each others eyes meaningfully. They embraced lovingly, Giles rocking the small woman he held in his arms gently.   
"Oh, Giles... finally... I found you..." 

***** 

Buffy hummed affably as she hung up some of her newly washed clothing, taking in the scent of the detergent.   
"Well you sure are happy," said Willow suggestively. She was sitting on Buffy's bed reading a book (Cathy was at class) but was more involved in observing Buffy's fascinating behavior. People are so much more agreeable when they're in love.   
"I guess I am, Will," she said.   
"So... may I ask how it went yesterday, or is it confidential?"   
"Wellll..." Buffy was happy she'd get a chance to relate her activities to someone, because she'd been dying to all morning. She plopped down on the bed next to her grinning friend, still holding her warm pleather pants. "We had a picnic in the park, played Frisbee, then patrolled. Then he dropped me off..." Willow prodded her.   
"Aaaand?"   
"Smoochies ensued!" she squealed. Willow returned her squeals and they continued squealing at each other.   
"I can't believe you kissed Giles! Was it good?" Buffy made a face that explained everything.   
"Ooooh yes indeedy, was it ever..." Willow squealed.   
"Buffy, I'm so happy for you! You've finally found a boy who'll treat you right."   
"I know! It's great." Buffy got an idea. "Do you wanna go on a double date with Oz tonight?" Willow nodded.   
"Yeah! Definitely!"   
"7:00pm, Bronze, just you and me and our boys?"   
"Right on!" 

***** 

"Buffy and Giles?" Willow nodded.   
"Hmm..." Oz thought a moment. "Makes sense," he said agreeably.   
"7:00pm, Bronze, double date. Sound good?"   
"Sure, sweetie." Willow rested her head on Oz's shoulder affectionately. 

***** 

RRRRING RRRRING 

Giles stumbled over to the telephone.   
"Hello?"   
"Hey baby!" Giles couldn't suppress the enormous grin that spread across his face.   
"Hello Buffy," he said in a warm tone that he didn't normally greet her with.   
"Whatcha wearing?" He chuckled.   
"You first."   
"Ooooh, naughty Giles..."   
"Yup. Naughty. That's me all over."   
"I was calling to ask you if you'd like to go out to the Bronze tonight."   
"I'd love to, but are you sure you'd like to be seen with me? In front of people you might know?"   
"Of course! I love you, and if stupid teenagers don't like it they can suck my nonexistent balls." Giles smiled.   
"How eloquent."   
"And can Willow and Oz come? We were thinking a double date could be fun." Giles almost choked.   
"Willow and Oz? But... wouldn't they be... you're sure it wouldn't be awkward?"   
"Not at all. Willow doesn't mind we're together and you know how easy-going Oz is."   
"If they're all right with it... it's okay by me."   
"Great!"   
"I'll pick you up at a quarter to."   
"Sure. Love you."   
"Love you too." 

***** 

Willow and Oz walked into the bustling club holding hands and wearing smiles of anticipation.   
"Gosh, I wonder what they'll look like together. It's gonna be so weird, but so right!"   
"I know babe, I know..." Oz wasn't that surprised at their getting together. At least not as much as Willow.   
The girl looked around and spotted a familiar face near the doorway.   
"Buffy!" she said to Oz, waving to the blonde across the room. Buff looked around at the club and tugged at the hand of the man behind her. It was then Willow noticed Giles standing behind her, presumably hiding in the shadows from the scary children. There were only like, three couples of people his age in the room, and it was quite embarrassing to be at a 'youth' hangout. But he looked his best, with his black silk shirt, leather coat and dark brown pants, and not *entirely* out of place. Buffy also looked great, wearing a tight black halter and vinyl-ish blue pants with her hair crimped to perfection.   
They started walking towards the young redhead couple, smiling and waving recognition. 

"Hey Wills, Oz."   
"Hi Buffy! Hi Giles," said Willow as she winked knowingly at him. He smiled nervously.   
"Hey guys," said Oz, a slight smirk tugging at the edges of his mouth.   
"How are you?" asked Willow.   
"Very well, thank you," answered Giles. Buffy wrapped her arm around his.   
"Could you get us some drinks, Giles?"   
"Of course. What would you like?"   
"Ginger ale," responded Willow and Buffy simultaneously.   
"Oz, why don't you go with him?" Oz took a hint and nodded. The two men left the girls at the table to go over to the bar and order their drinks. 

"Giles sure looks... datey... tonight," said Willow observantly.   
"And, Oz. Looks datey. I wonder why that is?"   
"We're very lucky girls, aren't we?" said Willow, watching as Oz made his way past a bunch of drunk high school boys to order their drinks.   
"Yes, yes we are," responded Buffy as she observed Giles' flattering outfit, and wondered what interesting strategies she could execute to remove it. Giles suddenly turned around and smiled at her from across the room. _Um... ah... I don't think I need to use strategies so much as sheer strength._   
"Awww..." cooed Willow, noticing his glance.   
"I *know*!" They carried their drinks back to the table, a dancing couple almost knocking them over. 

"Ginger ale, as requested," said Giles as he put down the glasses with the lemon slices in them.   
"Thank you, gentlemen," said Buffy, taking a sip from her soda.   
"No problem," said Oz.   
"What'd you guys get?" inquired Willow.   
"Orange spritzer."   
"Coke." They drank quietly. Buffy and Giles were busy glancing at each other, and Willow and Oz were busy watching them glance and glancing among themselves. The music changed and Buffy and Willow recognized it immediately as the song that Buffy did the 'sexy dance' with Xander to. They giggled into their hands uncontrollably. The men looked at each other confusedly.   
"What's so funny?" asked Giles.   
"Um, nothing..." said Buffy, still looking at Willow. 

The music eventually changed again to a somewhat faster song, but not too fast, just the right kind of song. It was sort of a pseudo-tango meets pop type thing. The couples looked at each other, and Oz was the first to say what they were thinking.   
"Shall we dance?" 

They led their guys by the hand onto the dance floor. Giles almost stuttered out a protest but decided to let her have her way - they were on a date at a club, dancing was a given. Anyway, he wasn't too horrible. Those swing classes were reminding him of his old dancing skills, but he knew this was an entirely different style. He gulped uncomfortably when Buffy took them into the center of the crowd and started dancing, swaying her hips seductively. He almost broke down with embarrassment, but decided to take matters into his own hands.   
_If we're gonna play, we're doing it my way,_ he said mentally. He put his arm around her slim waist and clasped her hand with his hand. He started a sort of 'cha cha' style foot movement and Buffy quickly followed suit as well as she could. He twirled her around with his arm and she smiled at him, glad he could dance and was willing to. He leaned out, as did she, still grasping one of her hands, then came back in and forced her into a move where they lifted their arms over their heads and pulled them out, gripping each others arms. Buffy thanked the gods she was somewhat skilled at picking up dance moves quickly, and that he was doing things within her capability. They continued their dance and it picked up in effort and complexity, Giles appearing much more intrepid than he felt. A few of the couples dancing around them stopped and just watched the pair, including Willow and Oz. 

"You're some dancer," panted Buffy when they drew in close to each other in one of the moves.   
"You too. You're picking up very nicely." The style of dance was obviously a swing style, but worked with the music anyway. Giles took the liberty of dipping Buffy at the end of the song with almost choreographed perfection. She leaned back dramatically and could feel the strength of his arm holding her waist up. She heard clapping all around them, and noticed a little bit of it was directed towards her and her dancing partner. 

She stood up, unconsciously grinning, as was Giles.   
"Aw man, Giles. You're fun."   
"Thank you, I like hearing that." She wedged her head in-between his neck and shoulder and chuckled softly into him. He thought he was dreaming, it was all unfolding too perfectly. The woman of his dreams burrowed against him, music and people filling the air with life, and moments of their dance replaying in his mind. He led her off the dance floor and back to their table, as did Willow and Oz.   
"You guys are on FIRE!" said Willow excitedly.   
"Why thank you," responded Giles as Buffy detached herself from him only to lean on his arm. 

They conversed about life, college, and various things for around a half hour, moving to the couches near the bar. But once a pretty slow song started playing they happily agreed to dance. The two couples took the classic 'slow dancing' positions but, as most people do, ended up in an embrace rocking back and forth to the beat. A couple people actually looked at them, wondering if they were going to break into another swing number. Once the song ended, Buffy planted a soft kiss on Giles' cheek, evoking a sigh and a nuzzle from her beloved Watcher. They danced to another song, then walked back to the couches and said goodbye to Willow and Oz, since they had to go patrol. They walked out of the club holding hands lovingly. 

"That was nice," said Buffy gently.   
"Very. Too bad we have to end the night with violence, but you know how it is." Buffy looked at him.   
"Well, we don't have to. We could... have violence, then end the night more nicely." Giles looked at her.   
"Oh?" Buffy kissed him squarely on the lips and they lingered a few more moments. Giles drew away and kissed her on the top of the head affectionately.   
"The sooner we finish patrol, the better." Buffy nodded, giving in to his commands, and they made their way to the cemetery. 

***** 

Buffy and Giles were so engrossed in their activities that they didn't even notice the creature of the night creeping up behind them. But at the last second Buffy realized it was there and swung her stake-wielding arm behind her. Her aim was slightly off, considering she was simultaneously kissing her man-friend enthusiastically. She tried again and managed to poke the vamp's heart, and couldn't help but laugh into Giles mouth. She's a girl wonder - she can make out AND kill things at the same time.   
He drew back his head, having heard the noise of the vampire turning into dust and the wind whisking it away.   
"What was that?"   
"Nothing." She grabbed his head and pulled him back to her. He kissed her a few seconds more, then once again drew back.   
"Really Buffy, as much as I'm enjoying this we really ought to continue patrol. I can't help but feel that there could be armies of demons passing us by and we wouldn't even notice." She smiled.   
"Don't worry, I've got it covered," she said as she spun around and kicked the vampire Giles had been looking at. She staked him swiftly, and proceeded to take his hand and lead him through the cemetery.   
"Let's finish this up, then we can kiss in a more romantic setting."   
"Sounds good." 

They proceeded to do just that, and after they had made their way through the graveyard a couple times they went back to Giles' house.   
"Sooo, Giles..." he raised an eyebrow.   
"Yes?" they walked into his living room and Buffy slammed his door behind her. She struck a pose, leaning against the door and looking up at him with so that her crimped hair fell in front of her face, creating a very purposefully sultry look.   
"C'mere..." he walked over to her knowingly, enchanted by her spell. The Watcher trailed his hand down the Slayer's face, then the outside of her arm, then past her waist and finished at her hips. She threw back her head, enthralled at his touch, which caused tingles to travel throughout her entire being. He leaned in and kissed her relaxed jawline, then her warm neck.   
"I want you," she whispered huskily. He looked her in the eye.   
"Are you sure you're ready for this? You wouldn't like to wait a little longer?"   
"Well, normally I'd wait much longer, but it's not like I'm worried you're gonna pull a one night stand. We've known each other for four years... no matter what happens between us, we could never really betray each other," she said adamantly. He pondered over her words, than nodded resolutely.   
"We have much too stable a relationship to worry, you're right." She nodded, smiling, as she caught his earlobe in her mouth. 

***** 

"Thank you very much, I appreciate it."   
"No problem... it's lucky that the swing class isn't full, huh?"   
"You bet. Seeya later," said Buffy as she walked away from the check-in desk at the dance school. She had decided that learning swing dance with her gorgeous British man would be much more entertaining and useful than hip-hopping her way through depressing overweight people.   
"Hey, what's up?" said a voice from behind her. She turned around to see a familiar face. She recognized it as the Dwight bloke from last week's strenuous hip hop class.   
"Buffy, right?"   
"Oh yeah, hi Dwight."   
"You coming to hip hop?" he asked excitedly.   
"Actually, I switched over to swing class... I think it'll suit me better." His face drooped in disappointment slightly.   
"Oh, really? That's too bad. Well, have fun! Seeya at school!" he spoke as he walked away. She wondered how she would break it to him that she was taken. _Oh well. I've more pressing matters to think about... like how I'm gonna look away from Giles long enough to learn how to dance._ As if to punctuate that thought, a hand clasped her shoulder and she greeted Giles with a brilliant smile.   
"Hello, darling." 

***** 

"...And they totally rocked the casbah!" Gushed Willow to the bewildered boy in front of her. She had been excitedly relating the tale of Buffy and Giles' dance to Xander.   
"Geez... who would've thought Giles was such a Casanova." She nodded.   
"I know. But it's good. It's not creepy or anything, at least to me, though you might think otherwise." He nodded.   
"Most likely. I guess I'll just have to accept the bizarre and go with it. That's what we're best at." Willow nodded.   
"You're gosh-darn right, Xander." She searched his basement with her bright eyes and found them trailing over a woman who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She had light brown hair styled into Dorothy-esque pig tail braids, and was wearing a suit coat and pants, with a conservative black shirt. Her face was young and proved her to be around the age of the youth whom she had just intruded upon. But her pronounced cheekbones and stern, furrowed eyebrows made her look beyond her years. She gripped the wooden stair banister self consciously and looked at the basement's inhabitant. Xander scrambled onto his socks-adorned feet and glared at her indignantly.   
"Who the hell are you?!" 

_To be continued..._


End file.
